The House of Deputies on Thursday morning passed five resolutions that, if approved by the House of Bishops, would challenge the state of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza more forcefully than the Episcopal Church has been willing to do in the past. Under Resolution B016 the church would follow…Read the full article

The House of Bishops on Wednesday moved the Episcopal Church much closer to making it possible for all same-sex couples to marry in their home churches. Currently eight diocesan bishops do not permit such marriages in their diocese, and several do not allow their priests to officiate at the marriages of same-sex couples in other…Read the full article

The House of Bishops Wednesday defeated a resolution that would have established “a human rights criteria social investment screen” to guide the church’s investment in Israel and the Palestinian territories. On a vote of 78-48, the bishops defeated Resolution D019, Ending Church Complicity in Israel and Palestine. The resolution sought to “develop a human rights…Read the full article

This morning the House of Deputies concurred unanimously with the House of Bishops vote to admit Cuba as a diocese of the Episcopal Church. Before the vote, President Gay Jennings asked for a moment of silence, saying, “This is a historic vote.” The vote ended a 52-year separation. In 1966, the House of Bishops had…Read the full article

The House of Deputies on Monday approved a resolution that seeks to make liturgies for marrying same-sex couples available in every diocese where such marriages are legal. Resolution B012 would make the marriage rites authorized for trial use by the 2015 General Convention available “under the canonical direction of the Rector or Member of the…Read the full article

I had lump in my throat as our bus turned a corner and headed down a narrow rural road. I knew we had to be close, and it hit me where we were going. We were in a caravan of 19 buses making the 40-minute journey from the Austin Convention Center to a world away…Read the full article

The House of Deputies on Monday approved almost unanimously a resolution from the so-called #MeToo committee to establish a Task Force for Women, Truth, and Reconciliation to help the church “engage in truth-telling, confession, and reconciliation regarding gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence against women and girls in all their forms by those in power in…Read the full article

The question of how the Episcopal Church should respond to issues of peace and justice in Israel and Palestine, particularly when it comes to financial investments, has proven so fraught that a working group was created just to figure out how best to talk about it. Following the 2015 General Convention, during which debate became…Read the full article

I write in prayerful and cautious opposition to Resolution C017 “A Just Peace in the Holy Land”— and I do so as a person who is concerned about protecting and supporting Palestinians. It is my opinion that this resolution will have the unintentional consequence of further harming the very Palestinians it aims to protect. My…Read the full article

The 79th General Convention is considering at least twelve separate resolutions on Israel and Palestine: C035, C038, B003, D019, D018, D027, D028, D038, D039, D041, B018, B021, C017 The topics range from ending the imprisonment of Palestinian children to the protection of the diversity in Jerusalem. General Convention regularly considers the Episcopal Church’s role in the…Read the full article